The demand for micronization of semiconductor devices, MEMSs and the like has increased, and in addition to the conventional photolithography technologies, microfabrication technology has attracted attention, in which uncured resin applied on a substrate (wafer) is molded by using a mold and a pattern is formed on the substrate. This technology is referred to as “imprint technology” and a fine structure can be formed on the substrate in several nanometers order. One example of the imprint technology is a photo-curing method. In an imprint apparatus that uses this photo-curing method, firstly, uncured resin (photo-curable resin) is applied in a patterning area on the substrate. Next, the resin on the substrate is contacted with a mold formed a pattern (mold pressing). And then, light is irradiated to cure the resin in a contacted state with the mold. The distance between the resin and the mold is increased (the mold is released from the cured resin) to form the pattern of the resin on the substrate.
An imprint apparatus using the above technology may cause distortion of the pattern formed in the resin due to stress generated in releasing the mold from the resin. Thus, a patent literature 1 discloses an imprint apparatus that divides an electrostatic suction unit of a substrate holding device into a plurality of suction blocks to allow a controller to switch on/off of suction force partly. In the patent literature 1, it is described that the resin is released from the mold, and then the suction force in a portion of the suction blocks is set to “off” to attenuate residual stress in the substrate. Also, a patent literature 2 discloses an imprint apparatus that divides a suction area of a substrate holding device to allow a controller to gradually adjust suction force in each divided area. In the disclosure of the patent literature 2, the suction force in a part of the divided areas is temporarily set to be reduced after releasing the mold from the resin (set the level of the suction force to be “small”) to attenuate residual stress. In addition, the patent literature 2 discloses that the suction force is set such that a part of a shot adjacent to a shot which is in contact with the mold in releasing the mold from the resin floats from a suction unit (set the level of the suction force to be “middle”) to reduce occurrence of collapse of the pattern.